Ex-DU employee's death: AAP joins protest over police inaction

October 10, 2013 17:43 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday extended its support to a protest organised by Delhi University teachers, employees and students' unions over police inaction into allegations of sexual harassment against a DU college principal by a sacked employee who later committed suicide.

Hundreds of protesters, including members of women's organisations, gathered at Shahidi Park near Delhi Gate from where they marched to the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO demanding immediate action against the principal of Bhim Rao Ambedkar College.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal questioned the delay in the police action and said that, under normal circumstances, the dying declaration is treated as strong evidence.

"Police should take action against the principal and arrest him when they have the dying declaration but, unfortunately, they have even failed to register a first information report against him," Kejriwal said, adding, "why has he not been questioned yet".

Later, a delegation, which included Kejriwal, met Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi, who assured them that "everything would be done according to law" in the case.

A 35-year-old former laboratory assistant of BR Ambedkar College in Yamuna Vihar, Pavitra Bhardwaj, had set herself ablaze on September 30 in front of Delhi Secretariat alleging physical and mental harassment by principal GK Arora and another member of the college staff.

She succumbed to her injuries at the LNJP Hospital on October 7. She had sustained 90 per cent burns.

The police have recovered a suicide note from the self-immolation site in which Bhardwaj has stated that she had been driven into taking the extreme step by the alleged physical and mental harassment she had faced from the principal and the second staff member.

Her death has led to protests by teachers and students of the college who demanded that the principal should step down while a probe was on in the case.

On Wednesday, Delhi government ordered a judicial probe by retired additional district judge BL Garg into "all aspects and circumstances" leading to the self-immolation by Bhardwaj.